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The Value of Office Furniture: Are you buying a Yugo or a Bentley?
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New Year’s Resolution:
5 Easy Steps to Clean Up the Office Clutter
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Why Buy Local, Local, Local?
“Keep your money local.” Everyone has heard that slogan – but what does it really mean,
especially as we approach this holiday season?
According a recent survey, 76% of Americans say they would rather buy from a local,
small retailer than a large chain. Yet, 90% of small retail businesses fail when large chains
open in the communities small businesses compete in. Seems like a dichotomy doesn’t it?
So, let’s talk about the real elephant in the room…
Why should YOU buy local, especially in this tight holiday season?
Putting your holiday dollars to work at local businesses, rather than at chain stores or online,
helps local economies because those firms are more likely to buy from local suppliers and
hire local services. Local businesses returns 45 cents on the dollar to the local economy,
compared with just 13 cents for each dollar spent with a big box chain, of which
9 cents is for employee salaries.
Locally owned businesses employ 69% of the community's workforce. A 2008 study of Kent County, Michigan found that a 10% shift in community spending from chains to local businesses would create an additional 1,600 jobs and $53 million in wages.
Local businesses have knowledgeable sales persons and dependable follow-up service.
Customers don’t get that from a big box store. Buying local helps create vibrant downtown areas, businesses with local character, and business owners who know their customers by name.
"The big box stores can't compete with the quality of your products or the value of your service and expertise,” said Tim Wiener, chief operating officer for VCP International. Local merchants promote personal safety, contribute to the community, and protect the environment.
They have the value advantage, which trumps volume discounts.
"It's heartening to see that so many consumers understand the important role independent retailers play in their communities — and that they are increasingly choosing to 'shop local,'" said Oren Teicher, chief operating officer of the American Booksellers Association. "Study after study has made clear that locally owned businesses have a far greater positive economic impact on their communities, contribute more to local charities, and are largely responsible for our towns and cities retaining their unique characteristics."
Local business owners are also active in the community, all the while donating to local causes and charities. Alex Piteo, Owner of Miracle on Main Street and Shred-it Akron, serves on several boards, donates to dozens of local fundraising efforts – but more importantly, devotes his time.
It is not just about dollar donations, it’s also about what business owners do with their time.
Liz Murphy, Owner of The Learned Owl in Hudson, Ohio, is involved in a large number of
community efforts as well.
So why should you shop locally this holiday season and beyond? Local businesses are a reflection of your community’s values. The money you spend stays closer to home, as the local business pay relatively higher wages to their employees and the business owner is able to spend his or her profits on products and services from other local businesses. Miracle on Main Street and Shred-it Akron offer unique products and services. For northeast Ohio residents and visitors,
there are so many good reasons to shop locally in order to invest in the community’s
continued economic prosperity. Good shopping!
Check out our websites at www.miracleonmain.com and www.residentialshreddingneohio.com.
Also, become a fan of our Facebook Pages at www.facebook.com/MiracleonMainStreet
and www.facebook.com/Shred-it-Akron.
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Identity Theft: What it is and how to avoid it
Imagine that someone has just booked a trip to Spain on your debit card. Or they opened up a
bank account under your name and wrote a bunch of bad checks. How does this happen and what can you do to prevent it? The most common way someone steals your identity is they get their hands on your credit card information, bank accounts, and the PIN and passwords associated with them.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as many as
9 million Americans
become identity theft victims each year.
Here is a look at the ways someone might steal your identity:
1. Going through your trash. This is the most common way identity theft happens. They go through your garbage, getting financial statements and any other personal identification out of it. Because people find it hard to believe that anyone would want to pour through garbage cans, they throw away the craziest things - like unsolicited credit card applications, old bills, expired credit cards, unused checking account deposit slips and countless other papers. For the identity thief, a bit of "dumpster diving" can provide a rich harvest of personal information - information that can be used to become you. Research shows that most identity thieves obtain information through traditional paper-based sources rather than electronic channels.
This is why paper shredding your personal information is so important. Shred-it Akron's document destruction services provide individuals and businesses with the safest and most efficient way of thwarting identity thieves. We maintain the highest level of security and we enable businesses and individuals to reduce their risk of identity theft. In addition, we participate in paper recycling.
2. Accessing used electronics. Your computer stores a whole lot of information about you including
your personal identification and financial information.
Hard drive and media destruction is the 100% secure way to permanently destroy data. Shred- it Akron destroys data from hard drives permanently by physically shredding the hard drive and disposing of the minute particles that remain.
3. Listening to you give the information away. Don't conduct financial transactions on your cell phone
in a public place. You never know who is around to listen to your conversation.
4. Tricking you. Occasionally identity thieves will run a scam that involves advertising a job that asks for your personal information on your resume. You send in the resume and they have enough information to start stealing your identity. Posing as your bank, insurance company, or doctor's office, the thief calls you on the telephone, gives you a plausible story and asks you for key pieces of personal information.
To protect yourself, never give away any information over the telephone.
For more information on where to locate shredding sites, please check out
www.shredit.com or www.residentialshreddingneohio.com
